Stand-on platform for a ladder



Jan. 27, 1959 J. w. BROGDON 2, 7 ,067

INVENTOR. I (@155 ZUBROGDON. 05s MED/NS, ROB/Q/SO/V& KE/SER.

I/I/I .H/S r TRA/EXS' United States Patent 0.

STAND-N PLATFORM FOR A LADDER James W. Brogdon, Cincinnati, Ohio Application March 28, 1956, SerialNo. 574,547

7' Claims. (Cl. 304-315) This invention relates to a stand-on platform for a ladder readily detachably connected with the ladder rungs tobe swung to and from operative position about one of the rungs to which it ispivoted, and it particularly .pertains to such support which is. balanced oil-center when in either operative or inoperative position.

The invention is simple in construction and efiicient in operation, and is readily detachably connected with the rungs of the ladder, as well as being readily swung to and from operative position when detachably connected to said ladder.

Stand-on platform attachments for ladders as heretofore made have not only been of involved and complicated construction but have not been detachably con nected without removing. some of the connecting parts. More often than not, some. additional attachments. are necessary for holding the stand-on supports when such is of a construction to be moved to and from operative position, and some adjustment needs to be made for moving them.

Accordingly, the main object of this invention is a readily detachable stand-on platform which is simple in construction and eflicient in operation without additional means other than provided for its detachable connection with the ladder.

Another object of .the invention is a readily detachable stand-on platform which is pivotally connected to one of the ladder rungs for beingswung to and from opera: tive position.

Another object .of the invention is a readily detachable stand-on platform pivoted to one of the ladder rungs and is balanced ofi-center in either of two extreme positions of movement.

Further objects, and objects relating to details of construction and economies of operation, will readily appear from the detailed description to follow. In one instance, the objects of the invention have beenaccomplished by the device and means set forth in the following specification. The invention is clearly definedand pointed-out in the appended claims. A structure constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in.

which:

Fig. 1 is a view of a section of a. ladder with'one embodiment ofthe platform attachment fitted thereto and in operative position. v o i Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l withithe platform attachment in inoperative position,

Referring specifically to the drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts, numeral 2 is a section of a conventional ladder with rungs 3 between and fitted to two sides 4.

Detachably connected with any of the ladder rungs 3 is a stand-on platform attachment comprising a base or support 5 of any suitable material, such as wood, supported on a pair of brackets 6 attached to the under side of said base 5 by screws 7.

The brackets 6 are of identical construction, each comice prising atop leg'. 8 and a bottom. leg 9 bent in the same general directional; an, angle to the int rmediate portion 10.. The top leg .8, is bent at about aright angle, whereas the bottom side. is bent atan obtuse angle to provide an inside corner 11. The bracket s advantageously formed from a single length of metal with its opposite ends bent' into the top and bottom legs 8 and 9 fromthe intermediate portion 10 which is referred toas the front side .of the bracket.

The free .end of the top leg -8, terminates in a downwardly extending hook 12,,and the free end of the bot,- tom leg terminates into hook 13,:the two hooks 12,.and13 being spaced apart at a length about equal to the vertical spacing between two adjacent rungs. The platform attachment is detachably connected to any two adjacent rungs of ,a ladder and adapted to-be swung to operative or inoperative positions, the. width of the base 5 being sufiicientl-y narrow, of course, topass between the sides 4 of the ladder. swung to either of two extreme positions of movement and will remain in either extreme position until swung back torthe other extreme-position.

The length :of the ,lower leg 9 .is not .less than the vertical spacing between twoadjacentrungs, and is preferably equal to the space between the free ends of the legs. With the hook 13 on the bottom leg as the pivot pointy-the other hook 12 and the-obtuse angle corner 11 are an equal radial distance therefrom, with the front side 10 of the bracket and the topleg notbelow the arc of the circle in which the.hook 12.n1oves. Hence, the top leg 8 will ride over and above the rung when the attachment is moved in either direction.

In operative position (Fig. 1);, two adjacent rungs of the ladder are engagedby the two hooks 12 and 13,.and the support-is .readily detachably connected by engaging the hookswith any two adjacent rungs. To move the support to an inoperative-position (Fig. 2), the attachment is simply pushed back over the top rung between the sides of the ladder to bring .the inside corner 11 of the bracket :in abutting contact with the top rung, the bottom rung tserving as a, pivot about which the support is swung. Thissupportis balanced olf-center when it is swung .to an operative'position and will remain in that position until swung back to operative position where it, too, is. balanced Holt-center.

It will be seen from .the foregoing description that the stand-onplatform is of-simple construction and. acompact'unit comprising the parts for, hooking it to the ladder without the ,need of anyadditional accessories. The hooked parts permit theattached unit being pivoted to either of its extreme positions about the rungs to which it is pivoted.

I amaW-are that there may .be-various'changes in details of construction without departing from the spirit of myinvention,and,'therefore, I claim my invention broad- 1y asindicated by the appended claims.

:Having"thus describedrny invention, what ,-I claim as new and usefulsand desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is:

;l. A readily detachable ladder platform attachrnet comprising a base of less lateral width thargthe width of a space between two side supports for the ladder rungs and a pair of brackets for said base, each bracket having an horizontal top leg adapted to be fitted to the underside of said base, a downwardly extending hook on the free end of the leg opposite to an elongated front side, a bottom leg downwardly extending from the one end of the front side and inclined in the general direction of the top leg to provide a'free end spaced from the hooked end of said top leg for a distance substantially the same as the space between two adjacent rungs of the ladder and terminating in a rung engaging hook, said The support is balanced oil-center when bottom leg providing a limit stop, below the horizontal top leg, for the movement of-the attachment in one direction, and the hook on the top leg providing a limit stop for the movement ofthe attachment in the opposite direction, said entire'attachm'ent adaptedto be pivoted on the lower ladder rung for moving the base and the top legs of the bracket over the next higher ladder rung from operative position in front of the ladder to inoperative position rearward of the ladder for permitting normal useof the ladder when said attachment is in inoperative position.

2. A readily detachableladder platform attachment comprising a bracket having an intermediate portion forming a front side from which a top leg is disposed at a right angle and from which a bottom leg is disposed in the same general direction at an obtuse angle for disposing the free ends of the legs in spaced apart relation at a distance of about the length of the space between two adjacent rungs of a ladder, said bottom leg below the obtuse angle being also of about the length of the space between two adjacent rungs of a ladder, a ladder engaging hook on each of the free ends of the legs, and a platform of less lateral width than the width of a space between two side supports for the ladder rungs attached to the top leg of the bracket, said front side of the bracket being of a length to space the connected end of the top leg from the connected end of the lower leg for lifting the connected end of the top leg out of contact with the ladder rung when the platform is swung to and from operative position.

3. In combination with a ladder, a platform attachment having an intermediate front portion from which a top leg is disposed at a right angle and a bottom leg is disposed in the same general direction at an obtuse angle with the free ends of the legs spaced apart for a distance substantially equal to the spacing between the two adjacent ladder rungs, said bottom leg below the obtuse angle being also of a length about equal to the space between the two adjacent ladder rungs, a ladder engaging hook on each of the free ends of the legs, an inside corner between the front side and bottom leg of the bracket adapted to abut against one of' the ladder rungs when the support is pivoted about another rung of the ladder, and a platform of less lateral width than the width of the space between the two side supports for the ladder rungs, supported on the top leg of the bracket, said entire attachment adapted to be pivoted on the lower ladder rung for moving the base and the top legs of the bracket over the next higher ladder rung from operative position in front of the ladder to inoperative position rearward of the ladder for permitting normal use of the ladder when said attachment is in inoperative position. 4. In combination with a ladder, a readily detachable platform attachment of less lateral width than the width between the two side supports for the ladder rungs pro- 1 vided with a rung attaching bracket having a top and bottom leg projecting from an intermediate portion into free ends spaced apart for a distance equal to the space between two adjacent rungs of the ladder, said bottom leg below the intermediate portion being of a length about equal to the space between two adjacent rungs of the ladder, and a rung engaging hook on the free end of each leg, said top leg being outside of a circle described from the bottom ladder rung by the length of the space between the free ends of the two bracket legs.

5. A readily detachable ladder platform attachment of less lateral Width than the distance than the width between the two side supports for the ladder rungs provided with a rung attaching bracket having a top and bottom leg projecting from an intermediate portion into free ends spaced for a distance equal to the space between two adjacent rungs of a ladder, said bottom leg below the intermediate portion being of a length about equal to the space between two adjacent rungs of the ladder, and a rung engaging hook on the free end of each leg, said top leg being outside of a circle described from the bottom ladder rung by the length of the space between the free ends of the two bracket legs, said entire attachment adapted to be pivoted on the lower ladder rung for moving the base and the top legs of the bracket over the next higher ladder rung from operative position in front of the ladder to inoperative position rearward of the ladder for permitting normal use of the ladder when said attachment is in operative position.

6. The readily detachable ladder platform of claim 5 in which the top leg of the bracket is disposed outside of the circle by means of the intermediate portion from which the legs project, said bottom leg below said intermediate portion being longer than the length of the space between two adjacent ladder rungs.

7. A readily detachable ladder platform attachment comprising a base of less lateral width than the width of a space between two side supports for the rungs, a pair of laterally spaced brackets secured to the underside of said base, each bracket comprising a top leg secured to said base and extending to substantially the forward edge thereof, a hook at one end of said top leg, adapted to engage a ladder rung, secured to and underlying said top leg and opening toward its opposite end, said opposite end having a second leg depending therefrom and normal thereto, and a bottom leg depending from said second leg and inclined inwardly in the general direction of the hooked end of the top leg and having secured to its free end a hook which opens generally downwardly for engaging another ladder rung about which the entire attachment may pivot from operative to inoperative position, the length of the bottom leg and the distance between the two hooks being substantially the same as the distance between two adjacent ladder rungs, and the length of the second leg being less than the last said distance, whereby the base overlies and extends outwardly of the first mentioned rung substantially normal to the ladder when in operative position and is supported rearwardly of the last said rung when in inoperative position for permitting normal use of said rung.

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